Bird FAQ

Why do Birds Sing?

• Birds sing to defend the territory around their nests by signaling their presence and by chasing other birds away. They also sing in attempts to attract a mate.

Are Birds smart?

• Scientists do not call birds “smart” but they like to think that in order to survive birds have figured out how to accomplish some amazing things such as:
• Crows can make ‘tools’ to get food
• Blue Jays will imitate the calls of hawks
• Some Birds are thought to “play”. Here is a video of a raven playing in the snow

Do all Birds Migrate?

• Not all birds migrate, but the majority of birds do. In North America about 75% of birds migrate. Birds migrate for various reasons, such as, to find a more abundant source of food or a better climate. The other 25% of birds are very happy where they are and do not migrate. The cardinal is one of the birds that stay in the same environment all year round.

How do Birds sing?

• Birds can make a ton of different sounds: chirps, rattles, whistles, trills, croaks, drumming. Their are actually two different categories of sound: vocal and non-vocal sounds. The vocal sounds are made by a special organ only birds have: the syrinx. This is located at the very top of the birds windpipe. Sound is produced when air goes through the windpipe and causes the thin membrane to vibrate and produce sound. Non-vocal sounds are typically made by other parts of the bird such as the wings or the beak.

What did Birds evolve from?

• This may come as a shocker but birds actually originally evolved from reptiles. As for which group of reptiles scientist are not completely sure. In 1861, a bird-like fossil named Archaeopteryx Lithographica was discovered, this fossil provided some proof that birds started off as reptiles. The first birds actually did not have feathers. Their feathers were originally used to keep a warm body temperature, mating rituals, or to glide from tree to tree.